Deschutes River Trail weaves through canyons and history

This rail trail on the eastern side of the Columbia River Gorge follows the Wild and Scenic Deschutes River through its lower canyons 16 miles one-way. The trail is popular among hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers.

Zach Urness / Statesman Journal

The wonderful thing about the lower Deschutes River Trail is that, even after you accidentally destroy your bicycle in a moment of fantastic stupidity and are forced to wheel it 7 miles back to the trailhead, the pathway is so scenic, you almost don't mind.

Almost.

The lower Deschutes River Trail follows an old railroad bed into the Eastern Oregon canyon. It can ...more

The lower Deschutes River Trail follows an old railroad bed into the Eastern Oregon canyon. It can be hiked, biked or explored via horseback.

Zach Urness / Statesman Journal, Zach Urness / Statesman Journal

Built from an old railroad bed and sweeping into the canyon of Central Oregon's famous stream, the trail is popular among hikers, bikers and equestrians on the eastern edge of the Columbia River Gorge.

Bright-blue skies and the smell of sage highlight this sun-baked canyon on fresh spring afternoons — a chorus of warblers, starlings and meadowlarks echo off rock walls — and historic artifacts dot a trail originally created by a pair of warring railroad barons.

My trip didn't go exactly as envisioned, of course. The plan for a 23-mile ride to a historic ranch was brought to a literal halt when I brilliantly broke the skewer that holds my front wheel, going from biker to hiker in a matter of moments.

REASON TO TRAVEL

The lower Deschutes River Trail is not a hop-ski-and-jump from the Mid-Willamette Valley.

The two-and-a-half-hour drive means the trip is best as a multi-day adventure to Hood River, The Dalles or even Pendleton.

I had come to ride what's known as the Railbed Trail — though it's often called the lower Deschutes River Trail — which runs 16 miles one way (or 32 miles round-trip).

Spring is an ideal time to ride because, this being Eastern Oregon, the weather is often sunnier and drier than the west side in March and April. Wildflowers are coming into bloom, and birds are plentiful, while by summer, the canyon becomes a virtual furnace.

A homestead formally inhabited by pioneer settlers, Harris Ranch features a barn, corrals and even a sheep-shearing machine at this "Little House on the Prairie"-style destination.

Despite what might seem a long ride, the old railroad bed is so level and smooth that the miles whiz past. Novice riders and children shouldn't have much problem.

The reason for such a wonderful trail originates with a major feud between two railroad barons of the early 1900s.

In 1909, James J. Hill and E.H. Harriman started building railroads on both sides of the Deschutes River from the mouth of the Columbia. Their crews raced against each other building track, using dynamite to sabotage each other's construction.

When the two crews reached a spot where only one could pass, Harriman bought the right of way and effectively won the battle.

Today, an active railroad still runs on the west side of the river while on the east side, the land has been transformed into the Railbed Trail.

GLORY AND DISASTER

The day couldn't have started more perfectly.

I arrived at Deschutes River State Recreation Area by 10:30 a.m. on a bluebird day with temperatures expected to reach 60 degrees.

As I prepared my bike and backpack for the journey, I met Shelia Burchell of Hood River at the parking area and trailhead. She was preparing for a 4-mile run and said she loves the trail so much she often comes out three to four times per week.

"This trail is beautiful, gorgeous, first of all, and it's also very peaceful," she said. "If you run into anybody out here at all, they're always very friendly. The weather is better than Hood River, and when it gets brutally hot in the summer, I just come earlier in the day."

It wasn't hard to understand her enthusiasm. The trail begins among rolling, sagebrush-covered hills before dropping into a burnt-orange canyon of walls rising 2,000 feet overhead.

From the seat of my bike, the miles seemed to disappear in seconds, even though I was forever stopping to snap pictures.

The ride isn't for mountain biking thrill-seekers, but the canyon does provide a sense of deep solitude and a semi-wilderness experience. (Trains rolling past across the river tend to shatter that illusion). There are places to camp, if you're so inclined.

After 6 miles of riding, I stopped for lunch at a marooned boxcar on the side of the trail. This is a great spot for watching red-tailed hawks and other birds of prey, or so I'm told, and it's fun to explore the inside of a railroad car that no longer has any rails to run upon.

An old railroad car sits along the Lower Deschutes River Trail.
An old railroad car sits along the ...more

An old railroad car sits along the Lower Deschutes River Trail.
An old railroad car sits along the Lower Deschutes River Trail, which follows an old railroad bed into the Eastern Oregon canyon.

Zach Urness / Statesman Journal, Zach Urness / Statesman Journal

Speaking of impaired equipment … just a mile or so beyond the boxcar, I noticed the front wheel of my bike wasn't spinning with optimal smoothness.

Since I routinely swap road and mountain bike tires, I assumed I'd done something wrong previously and took off the front wheel for an adjustment. Twenty minutes of total befuddlement ensued, and finally I just decided to put the wheel back on when … SNAP.

In a moment of beautifully timed idiocy, I broke the skewer that fastens on the front wheel. All of a sudden, my bike was as useful as the marooned boxcar.

I'd love to tell you I was smart enough to devise some brilliant fix, perhaps fashioning a stick into a new skewer, but I'm pretty sure everyone who reads these outdoors columns knows I'm not three generations of that intelligent.

The good news about the lower Deschutes River Trail, of course, is that even when you accidentally incapacitate your bike, turning yourself from biker to hiker in a heartbeat, the sights and sounds of this spectacular canyon are wonderful enough that you almost don't mind.

Almost.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors writer and totally worthless bike mechanic in Oregon for six years. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. For more news, adventures and trips see Our Oregon Outdoors on Facebook or ZachsORoutdoors on Twitter.

Crowds: Not bad, though a fair amount of hikers, equestrians and other bikers are to be expected on sunny weekends

Dogs: Must be leashed

Fees: $5 or state parks pass at trailhead

Camping: Yes, remote campsites can be had beyond the 2-mile mark.

Trailhead coordinates: 45.6341,-120.908264, N45 38.046, W120 54.496

Directions: A two-hour-and-30-minute drive from Salem. From Salem, follow I-5 north and east on I-84. After passing The Dalles, continue 14 miles and take exit 97 at signs for Highway 206 and Deschutes River State Recreation Area. Turn left onto Highway 206 and continue 3.1 miles, and turn right after crossing over the Deschutes River into Deschutes River State Recreation Area. Immediately after entering the park, turn left into a trailhead parking area for the Old Railroad Trail.